Fire-engine pump



(No Model.)

v FIRE ENGINE PUMP. Y No. 478,439. Patented July 5, 1892i WITNESS/5S.'

'mlgA/Eys,

ms mums venas en., mow-urns., v/Asmnarou, n. c.

PATENT OFFICE.

TRUCKSON S. IlA FRANCE, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

FIRE-ENGINE PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,439, dated July 5, 1892.

Application inea Juiy 15, i890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LTRUcKsoN S. LA FRANCE, of Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Fire-Engine Pumps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention 'has more especially for Yits object the production of a pninpfor steam and otherlike fire-engines which shall be more conveniently accessible as regards its valves and interior mechanism'when repair or adjustment i's necessary than is 'usually attainable and whichwill not necessitate the taking down or interference with the outside mechanism of the pump or engine whenever it is necessary. to get at the valves of the pump to repair or replace them, thereby saving much timeand labor and consequently reducing the expense attendant upon keeping a fire-engine in order ready for use withoutI much or any serious delay.

The invention, which relates to double-acting pumps, more particularly to those which occupy an upright position in the fire-engine,

consists in a novel construction ofthe pumpcasing and arrangement of the inletand outlet passageswith the pump -barrel and 1n double sets of valvelchambers arranged 1n the front or accessible side of the pump-casing and closed by a separate lid or lids, with all the valves grouped in close relation with each other, and so that either end sets of valves are readily accessible without disturbingthe end covers of the pump-barrel and its casing, s ubstantially as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims, and whereby the obJect more especially sought to be attained, as hereinbefore set forth, is very perfectly and coinpactly secured;

The invention also includes a special combined solid head and bucket plunger for the double-acting pump, as hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l represents an exterior elevation of my improved double-acting fire-en gine pump, with one-half of two lids which close its valvechambers on the one side or front of the serial no. 358,780. (No moat-.1.)

pump removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical section uponthe'line 2 2 in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section upon the line 3 3 in Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section, in part, upon the line 4c 4 in Fig. 3.

A indicates the pump-casing of circular form, as usual, and provided with opposite side inlets b b for lreceiving the water from either side of the engine without turning the latter,which feature is common to fire-engines generally. l

B is the pump-barrel, arranged concentrically within thecasing A and extending the full height and depth of it. Said barrel and casing are closed both top andbottom, and neither end requiresto beo ened nor yet the back of the casing nor the barrel nor its plunger to be removed in order to get at the valves, as will be apparent from the description which follows.

A stufling-bo'x c is provided on top of the pump-casing or its barrel for the plunger-rod cl to work through.

All the valves, both inlet and outlet, are

' arranged in the front portion of the casing A, Vso as to be more readilyaccessible, as hereinbefore described, to which end I construct the casing as follows: Running vertically from top to bottom'in the front portion of the pumpcasing and joining the front side of the barrel are partitions c e and f f joined midway of their height by a'horizontal dividing partition g, thereby forming upper inlet-valve chambers D D and lower inlet-valve chambers D D; also, between these two sets of inletchambers upper and lower oiitlet-valve chambers, virtually, however, forming only one E, by reason of the partition g not intersecting them or having an opening 7c through it uniting them. Passages ZZ are made-in the backs of the inlet-valve chambers D D and D D to establish communication with the pump-bai'- rel B for drawing water first into one end of the barrel and then intothe other end thereof and discharging it therefrom as the plunger G is reciprocated up and down, and a pipe or outlet m is provided at top of the double deliverychamber E to connect with the usual airchamber with which the discharge-hose is connected. (Not shown here.) Both the upper and lower sets of inlet or suction valves n, contained in the chambers D D D D', and

IOS)

the upper and lower sets of delivery-valves o, contained in the double delivery-chamber E, are or may be the usual spring-puppet ones. The suction-valves n control openings s, connecting the inlet-chambers D D D D with the whole interior back and side portions of the casing A, which forms a waterreceiving chamber c, and the delivery-valves o control like openings s', connecting the inlet-chambers D DD D with the double delivery-chamber E. From this description it will readily be seen that as the plunger G is worked up and down the pump-barrel B alternately takes in water by the upper and lower passages Z Z through the suction-valves nin the upper and lower inlet-chambers D D DD, the supply being furnished from the general receiving-chamber o, and alternately discharges the water through the same passages Z Z into the double delivery-chamber E through the delivery-valves o,and from thence through the outlet' nt.

In the front and exposed side of the pumpcasing A are provided openings a' a', the one above and the other below the horizontal partition g, said openings, which virtually form open fronts to the valve-chambers D D, D D',

and E, being of sufticient size to take in or expose the whole of the Valves when a lid, or preferably separate lids b Z2', applied to the front of the casing A and closing said openingsa a', are removed. In this way or by these means either or both the upper and lower sets of inlet and outlet valves, all or any of them, are readily accessible for repair or replacement from the front side of the outer casing, free from displacement of or interference with the outside mechanism or parts of the engine and without opening the back of the casing or removing the ends of it and the barrel or drawing out the barrel or plunger, and by this arrangement of the valves and valve-chambers the pump-barrel and its outer casing may be cast in a single piece, if desired.

As in fire-engines,`it sometimes is preferred `to construct the plunger of the pump with a structions in the plunger G by making it with two half or upper and lower solid heads CZ (Z, holding reverse cup-shaped leather or fiexible packings g g in between them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. ln a fire-engine pump, the combination, with a casing, of a pump-barrel arranged therein to form a water-chamber at the back and sides of the said barrel and an outletchamber between the pump-barrel and the front of the casing and discharging at the top, an upper and lower inlet-chamber on each side of the outlet-chamber and each communicating with the pum p-barrel, and valves controlling the admission of water from said water-chamber to the inlet-chambers and from the inlet-chambers to the outlet-chamber, substantially as described.

2. In a iire-engine pump, the combination, with a casing, of a pump-barrel arranged approximately concentrically in the casing and exten ding fromV top to bottom thereof, thereby forming a water-chamber at the back and sides of the pump-barrel, said chamber extending from the top to the bottom of the casing, an outlet-chamber between the pumpbarrel and the front of the casing, an outletpipe leading fromthe top of the outlet-chamber, an upper and lower inlet-chamber on each side of the outlet-chamber and each communicating with the pump-barrel,valves controlling the admission of water from the said water-chamber to the inlet-chambers, and valves controlling the admission of water from the inlet-chambers to the outlet-chamber, substantially as described.

In a fire-engine pump, the combination, with a casing, of a pump-barrel arranged approximately concentrically in the casing and extending from top to bottom thereof, four vertical partitions arranged between the pump-barrel and the front of the casing, a horizontal partition extending from the pumpbarrel to the front of the casing at about the middle of the height of the said casing, the said horizontal partition being apertured between tlie two innermost partitions, whereby an outlet-chamber and two upper and two lower inlet-chambers will be formed in the front of the casing, and a water-chamber in the rear thereof, said water-chamber `surrounding the back and sides of the pumpbarrel and extending from the top to the bottom of the casing, substantially as herein shown and described.

4f. In a fire-engine pump, the combination, with a casing having an opening in its front, of a pump-barrel in the casing and extending from the top to the betteln thereof, a waterchamber in the rear of the casing and extending from top to bottom thereof,.an outletchamber between the pump-barrel andthe front of the casing, an outlet-pipe leading from the top of the outlet-chamber, an up per and lower inlet-chamber on each side of the outlet-chamber and communicating with the pump-barrel, valves controlling the admission of water from the water-chamber to the inlet-chambers and from the inlet-chambers to the outlet-chamber, and a lid or lids closing the opening in the front of the casing, substantially as herein shown and described.

5. The combination of the outer pump-casing A, having openings a ctin its front side, lids b h', closing said openings, the inner pump-barrel B, having upper and lower openings Z Z', the upright partitions e e and ff between the front side of the barrel and open front side of the outer casing, and the horizontal partition g, forming double sets of upper and lower inlet-valve chambers D D D D and a double outlet-chamber E, the suction- IOO IIO

Valves n, controlling admission of Water from reduced ends adjacent to each, other, andro the outer casing into said inlet-chambers, and iexible cup-shaped packings fitting on and f thedelivery-valves o,controllingthedischarge arranged between the reduced ends of the into the outlet-chamberE, essentiallyasshown said heads, substantially as and for the pur- 5 and described. pose set forth.

6. In a double-acting fire-engine pump, a TRUCKSON S. LA FRANCE. plunger formed of upper and lower solidheads, Witnesses: l each having a reduced end, the said heads A. GREGORY, being mounted on the plunger-rod with theirv C. SEDGWICK. 

